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Topic: GAA Podcast focusing on players (Read 1245 times)

Having spent the large majority of 2016 in New York City, Jamie Clarke is back in Ireland and once again strutting his stuff in a Armagh jersey.

Renowned for his individual style on the pitch, Jamie is one of the most talented forwards and interesting personalities the modern game has produced.

Over the course of the hour, we chat about the positive impact that travelling has had on his life and outlook, the importance of being authentic and not submitting to stereotypes, and how now, at 27 years of age, he felt a magnetic pull that lured him home from America because ultimately he wants to help leave Armagh football in a better place.

In 2012, Offaly forward Niall McNamee publicly admitted he owed around €80,000 as a result of a gambling addiction, accepted that he needed professional help and so began, his journey towards recovery.

It is now 5 years since Niall has made a bet and his life has been transformed. We sat down to chat about many lessons he has learned along the way and what it is like to be able to look at himself in the mirror now and be proud of what he sees – because for many years he didn’t and gambling became his form of escapism from everyday life.

He burst onto the inter-county scene as a 17 year old back in 2003 when he made his championship debut, the week before his Leaving Cert began. Since then he has become Offaly’s talisman, missing just one championship game over 14 campaigns, but while Niall has been a beacon of consistency on the field, a large portion of his football career was spent battling a chronic gambling addiction.